After hearing Zhang Kui's explanation, Zhao Rui finally understood. Without even realizing it, he had become the first student in his freshman class to join the Martial Arts Team.
His counselor, Liu Jie, had probably gone to great lengths to make it happen, and Principal Hao's approval must have played a part too.
"The Martial Arts Team's main players are mostly seniors in their junior and senior years. We sophomores are barely more than errand boys..."
As Zhang Kui walked, he continued explaining. Before long, they reached a two-story building behind the main one. It looked like an ancient structure, but its walls were poured from concrete, making it resemble a fortress.
"You need to scan your face and have your iris checked every time you come in or out!"
After scanning his face at the security system by the entrance, Zhang Kui led Zhao Rui inside.
The building's interior was quite modern. A corridor ran between rows of separate rooms, some of them fitted with heavy-duty steel doors.
"First, come with me to get your basic stats measured. Then we'll register your information."
Zhang Kui scanned his face at a heavy iron door, and it automatically slid open to either side.
Zhao Rui followed him inside. Cool blue-white light streamed across the walls in shimmering bands, like liquid mercury.
Hexagonal honeycomb patterns covered the ceiling, where several holographic screens floated. Streams of data spread and rearranged themselves through the air like ink dropped into water.
"..."
Zhao Rui was stunned. Was this the Martial Arts Academy? If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would've thought it was a science and technology institute.
Three transparent, cylindrical pods stood in the corner of the room. Optical fibers covered their surfaces, pulsing on and off like breaths, as if they contained the mysterious nebulae hidden in the deepest reaches of the Milky Way.
Light-guiding fibers concealed beneath the floor formed a flowing star chart. With every step Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui took, ripples of energy spread across it.
"Senior, what is this place?"
Zhao Rui stared in amazement. It felt like he'd stepped into a sci-fi movie from his previous life. Holy crap, this was incredible.
"The Tenglong 3 Martial Arts Analysis Room, developed by Huake Institute. Cool, huh? I was stunned the first time I saw it too, haha!"
Zhang Kui laughed heartily, apparently remembering how awkward he'd been on his first visit.
"Yeah, it's definitely impressive."
Zhao Rui nodded.
Zhang Kui walked over to a control console and tapped away at it for a while. Then he gestured for Zhao Rui to take off his shoes and step barefoot into one of the pods.
At Zhang Kui's instruction, Zhao Rui went inside, put on a helmet-like device, and gripped the two handles, standing with his arms and legs spread wide.
"Circulate your internal energy and use the method you're most familiar with to channel it. Don't worry about crushing anything. It's all made of high-strength alloy."
Zhang Kui's voice sounded from inside the sealed pod.
Following his instructions, Zhao Rui cautiously circulated his internal energy. He felt a strange current pass through him, stimulating the meridians he'd opened, one by one.
What was this feeling?
It was kind of comfortable!
Zhao Rui focused his mind and carefully sensed the current's path and the way its energy flowed.
In front of the data monitor outside the pod, Zhang Kui frowned slightly at the jumping charts and three-dimensional image of a human figure. He couldn't help muttering, "Junior Brother's talent is pretty average!"
"Meridian permeability: 50 percent. Dantian expansion rate: slightly below average. Internal Energy viscosity: 70 percent..."
"But one of his acupoints has already opened the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. Heh, interesting!"
After five or six minutes, Zhang Kui finally switched off the testing device and called Zhao Rui out.
"Senior, how's my talent?"
Zhao Rui was quite curious about the impressive machine and couldn't help asking.
"Not bad. Pretty good. Let's go to the registration room and enter your biometric information!"
Zhang Kui answered casually, clearly brushing him off.
"Uh, Senior, you're making it pretty obvious. Is it really that bad?"
"It's not bad. Among the current team members, you even rank first."
"..."
Who would've guessed that a senior with such a burly-sounding name would also be such a jokester?
Zhao Rui sighed. He'd been prepared for this, really. If his talent had been good, he would've tested directly into the Martial Arts Academy.
Without the boost from his system panel, he'd probably still be a Level 3 Martial Artist right now.
"It's fine. At least you've opened one of your acupoints. You're already ahead of a lot of the juniors."
Zhang Kui offered a word of comfort, and the two of them left the testing room and headed to another.
"Master Deng, we've got a new team member. I brought him in to get registered."
As he entered, Zhang Kui hunched over and peered inside. When he saw an old man stretched out on a recliner, he immediately put on a fawning smile.
The old man was scruffy and gray-haired, with a face full of wrinkles. His eyes were half-open, and he looked as if he could never quite wake up.
"Oh. Use the machine by the door. The password is..."
With that, the old man turned his head away and didn't so much as look at them.
Zhang Kui gave Zhao Rui a little twitch of his eyelid to tell him to keep quiet. Then the two of them tiptoed over to a desk, switched on the computer, and started up the connected equipment.
They entered his name and identity information, then collected his facial, iris, and fingerprint data...
Once they'd finished the whole process, Zhang Kui called toward the old man's back. "Master Deng, we're heading out. I'll shut down the computer for you!"
"Go on, go on!"
The old man couldn't even be bothered to lift an arm. He muttered a couple of words and said nothing more.
Seeing this, Zhang Kui quickly led Zhao Rui out and shut the door behind them. They hurried away from the registration room.
"Senior, who was that..."
"I don't know!"
"..."
You don't know him, but you acted like he was some otherworldly master. You had me completely fooled.
Zhao Rui rolled his eyes. He'd better keep his distance from this senior in the future.
"The senior who handled my registration last time acted just like him. You can handle it when the freshmen arrive next semester!"
"...Senior, I'm a freshman too!"
"Oh, right. I forgot! No matter. Once you've done it once, you'll know how the second time goes. You can't expect me, your senior, to keep doing it for you!"
Just like that, Zhang Kui cheerfully handed Zhao Rui the registration work for the future.
After finishing the registration, the two of them returned the way they'd come, back to the main hall.
When Teacher Wang saw them return, he casually tossed over a USB drive. Zhao Rui reached out and caught it, and only then did he speak. "The Calming Heart Art is on there. It's suitable for martial arts practitioners above Level Seven but below the Grandmaster Realm. Memorize it when you get back and practice diligently!"
With that, he waved his hand and dismissed Zhao Rui.
Zhao Rui said goodbye to Teacher Wang and Zhang Kui, then walked out along the flagstone path.
When he reached the entrance, the gate swung open with a creak before he even got close.
Zhao Rui's face twitched. What the hell? So much for profound internal energy. This was just an automatic door!
Inside the main hall!
Teacher Wang studied the data displayed on the computer monitor. After a brief hesitation, he asked Zhang Kui, "What was your meridian permeability when you first joined?"
"Teacher, 86 percent!"
Zhang Kui replied concisely.
"Mm. All right, go on with your work."
Then he waved Zhang Kui away.
Night slowly descended over Dongqi University, beneath a sky full of clouds, enveloping the brightly lit campus buildings.
Zhao Rui was in the dormitory playing a mobile game with his roommates. They'd had two classes that afternoon and had just returned after dinner.
They were in the middle of an intense game when someone knocked on the dorm door. Le Bin was closest, and without taking his eyes off his phone, he casually opened it.
"Excuse me, is Zhao Rui here?"
Two young men he didn't recognize walked in.
Zhao Rui looked up and answered, "I'm Zhao Rui. Who are you?"
"Oh, we're from the College Student Union. My name's Luo Zhengwen, and I'm the vice president. I have something I'd like to talk to you about. Do you have a moment?"
The young man in front wore square-framed glasses and looked refined and scholarly.
"The Student Union?"
Zhao Rui frowned. He didn't have much to do with them.
Still, since it was the students' "administrative" organization, Zhao Rui smiled, put down his game, and nodded. "Sure. Should we talk here, or go outside?"
Seeing that Zhao Rui had agreed, the visitor visibly relaxed and smiled. "Let's talk outside the dorm."
Zhao Rui nodded and went out with the two of them.
At the small plaza outside, Luo Zhengwen got straight to the point. "Here's the situation. We've come to invite you to join the Student Union. If you join, you can be a vice president."
"Uh!"
Zhao Rui was taken aback, but he quickly figured out what was going on and smiled. "I'm just an ordinary student. I won't cause you any trouble."
During military training, Zhao Rui had practically become the representative of the college's freshmen. On top of that, his personal fighting ability was on par with students from the Martial Arts Academy.
How could the Student Union not pay attention to him?
They didn't know whether Zhao Rui would turn into a troublemaker in the future, but it was better to prepare for a rainy day and bring him into the organization early.
If everyone became part of the same circle of interests, wouldn't that solve most problems?
"Our president has already discussed it with your counselor. The counselor also recognizes your abilities."
"No, thanks. I'm pretty busy, and I don't want to join the Student Union."
"This..."
"It's fine. I'll head back first."
Zhao Rui smiled and turned back toward the dorm.
"This..."
After Zhao Rui left, the staff member following Luo Zhengwen asked him a question.
"All right. We've said what we came to say. Let's go and tell the president."
With that, Luo Zhengwen turned and left the small plaza.
Back in the dorm, Jian Congsheng asked curiously, "What did the Student Union want with you?"
"Nothing much. It's about the Martial Arts Academy."
Zhao Rui smiled without elaborating.
"Oh!"
Jian Congsheng didn't know much about martial arts. Seeing that Zhao Rui didn't want to talk about it, he fell silent.
Truth was, he understood in his heart that Zhao Rui and the rest of them weren't cut from the same cloth. They shared a dorm, but their lives were completely different.
Their futures would be different too. Even if Zhao Rui never made any further progress in martial arts, his current ability would still put him ahead in society and let him do quite well.
Still, since fate had brought them together in the same dorm, they should naturally get along.
Students were far more realistic than adults imagined.
The night passed without incident.
After his professional classes the next morning, Zhao Rui took his schedule and headed to the Martial Arts Academy.
It was his second time there, but he was still amazed by the old-fashioned courtyard, steeped in antiquity.
No doubt about it, it must've cost a fortune!
The thread in a loving mother's hands,
Was sewn into the clothes her wanderer son wore!
Brothers, love may sour and friendship may betray you, but a mother's love for you is the one love in this life that never changes!
Wishing all readers' mothers a happy holiday!
Grateful for the love that raised us, grateful for the bond between mother and child!
Before you continue